Vegan Pumpkin Pie # 1

So… this was not the veganized version of the Libby’s recipe that I originally envisioned, but Whole Foods only had chocolate vegan evaporated milk, so I got a little more creative. Here silken tofu takes its place. Since I took a big detour there, I figured I’d go with maple syrup instead of granulated sugar too, and see how it worked. I’m happy to report that it came together beautifully! See more in the results below! : )

3. Pour into pie shell and bake for 15 minutes. Drop temp to 350° F and bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven to cool for 30 minutes, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Top with whipped topping (if using) before serving, and enjoy!

* Basically, we’re replacing 2 large eggs here. So 1 tbsp. agar = 1 egg / 2 tbsp. arrowroot or cornstarch = 1 egg. Feel free to play with the substitutions. I was going to use arrowroot & agar only, but was running out of the former.

Results: I am THRILLED to report that this had exactly the texture I was hoping to achieve, and that was lacking in the last pie I tried! Don’t know if it was my recipe, or the different baking method, or both, but no matter what, I couldn’t be happier! It’s amazing that something that tastes so good isn’t so much worse for you; just look at the nutritional profile for the filling below. You may be thinking that the slice at the top of this post is an awfully small sliver, but what you don’t know is I ate three of those slivers, and you’ll see by the last picture that those three slivers made a pretty good size dent in my pie. Leaving it in a shape that actually made Janis Joplin’s Mercedes-Benz get stuck in my head for a while, if you want to know the truth! Hah! ; ) Well, I think we may have a winner here. I may try to make another more heavily spiced version sans vanilla just for comparison’s sake, but I am beyond excited by how well this winging it worked out! I’m pretty sure that it will taste even better tomorrow too. 😀

Final nutrition facts will vary depending on what type of pie crust you use! If you really want to keep the fat/calories at bay, you can try baking it in pie dish sans crust or in ramekins for individual portions. I saw this done with a different recipe before. If you try that, let me know how it works out!